Apple Requests FCC Keep iPhone 4 On Lockdown

Perhaps it was just getting to be one leaked image of the iPhone 4 too many? Apparently three days before Apple revealed the iPhone 4, they asked the Federal Communications Commission to keep any photos and info on the device secret for 45 days, according to AppleInsider.

The letter was signed by Robert Steinfeld, the EMC and wireless compliance manager with Apple. In the letter to the FCC, it makes it clear that the company wanted absolutely nothing revealed, about the inner workings of the phone.

"Although Apple has begun to market the device publicly, these documents reveal technical and design information that has not yet been publicly disclosed in such marketing and that is protected by Apple as confidential and proprietary secrets," read the letter.

Other details includes a request for a 45-day short-term confidentiality agreement for photos related to setup tests, external as well as internal hardware views and the user manual. Apple also wanted permanent confidentiality on specs, such as schematics and bills of material for the cellular radio, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality.

While Apple usually does request confidentiality form the FCC, what's unknown is why the reasoning on this one, given the leaks of various prototypes, many of which were disassembled for the public.

But believe it or not, Apple did manage to keep some things secret such as the iPhone having 512 MB of RAM.